Eric Greenspan’s Apple Bacon Pie

PIE-A-DAY #56

This recipe comes to us from Eric Greenspan, one of the judges for this year’s 3rd Annual Good Food Pie Contest and Chef at The Foundry on Melrose.

Keep reading for the recipe…

For the dough:

3 cups AP flour

4 tablespoons sugar

10 ounces butter

5 tablespoons rendered bacon fat

½ cup ice water

pinch of salt

½ cup finely grated cheddar cheese

For the filling:

8 granny smith apples, cut in 1/8

1 granny smith apple, diced small

½ cup of honey

2 ounces butter

1 pound cubed applewood smoked bacon

1 cup apple juice

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

For the lid:

1 cup finely grated cheddar cheese

¼ cup finely grated parmasean cheese

For the dough:

Add flour, sugar, water and salt in a commercial mixer, mix slow. While mixing slowly add butter, bacon fat and cheese until one cohesive mixture is formed. Let cool. Using a rolling pin, roll thin about ¼ inch thick and line a greased 11” pie tin. Fill with butcher paper and beans and parbake in a preheated 350 degree oven until cooked. Approximately 20 minutes.

For the filling:

Briefly sautee cubed bacon in a hot skillet. Add honey, apple juice and vinegar. Bring to a simmer. Cook bacon until tender. Approximately 90 minutes. When tender, remove bacon from liquid and reduce until syrup consistency. Add apples and butter and cook until golden and tender. Return bacon. Mix and let cool. Place in pre-baked pie shell.

For the lid:

Mix cheddar and parmesean cheese and sprinkle a light layer on a silpat. Bake in the oven until melted and partially carmelized. Remove from oven. While cooling, cut a 14” diameter circle around the cheese and when beginning to solidify remove circle from silpat and gently drape over the top of the filling and crimp sides. To finish place pie back in oven for 5 minutes to warm through. Slice and serve. Yummy.